Biodiversity: Rare Colorado plant gets a second chance

In parts of western Colorado and Utah, a rare wildflower that is under the threat of extinction may get protection from the government. Some of the listed potential threats are oil and gas development, increases in roads and grazing. Previously, federal land managers denied protection for the plant, but in June, a federal judge ruled that the managers acted “arbitrarily and capriciously.” He also found that the Fish and Wildlife Service failed to present the best scientific evidence that best shows the threat the plant is exposed to. Under the Endangered Species Act, the rare plant my get the protection it should have gotten years ago. Without a proper protection from the government, this “strikingly beautiful” rare wildflower may go into extinction. Endangered plants are more easily ignored than other endangered species. Many plants go extinct without anyone knowing.



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By Abdullah Aalrifi

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